Dreams Within Skyhold

Gathering / Conference

An interminable amount of time passed as the cart bounced up and down on the lumpy dirt road. In fact, it seemed as though very little time had passed at all for Matsumoto Ooawagaeri before the lead-gray spires of Skyhold began to rise over the northern horizon.   "Hey, we're closer than I thought," said Hashiba Hideyoshi, noticing the same thing. She turned companionably to her fellow traveler. "So, what boon are you planning on asking the Princess? Don't tell me you want her hand in marriage or something lame like that."

"Actually, I wanted to speak with Katakura Kojūrō. I was under the impression they were good friends."   There was no flash of recognition in Hideyoshi's eyes. She just furrowed her brow and said, "Eh? Can't say I've heard that name before." Then, a shrug. "But if anybody can find them for you, it's the Princess."   "I believe it," Ooawagaeri answered. A thought occurred to him and he mused, "Say, how long has the Princess been in charge?"   This seemed to confuse Hideyoshi even more than his question about Kojūrō. She quickly laughed it off. "That's a strange question to ask. She's the Immortal Princess, so, I guess, forever? Next time maybe you'll forget the sky is blue."   Under his mask, Ooawagaeri answered with a wan smile. "Well you know, too much booze makes one forgetful. Let's hope that doesn't happen."   They road along in silence for a few moments then, broken only by the occasional sound of the cart driver spitting off the side.   "Strange question," Ooawagaeri led, "How much do you suppose we all weigh?"   "Huh?" It had been one bizarre question after another, but Hashiba Hideyoshi still did her level best to answer. "I'm probably around a hundred fifty, and you look skinny enough. It's the big guy and the mules who are going to weigh us down."   The masked man nodded and raised his head to the sky. "Let's see if this works." He whistled for his faithful vulpine companion.   A sonic boom shook the air a moment later as the Sable Fox appeared. Although, it was also immediately apparent something was wrong. As it approached, the creature's body stretched and wobbled in a mimicry of what Ooawagaeri himself had felt when entering this strange place. It snapped back into a new shape, one clad in shiny black-plated iron and resting on two wheels. A low hum emanated from it as it skidded to the stop next to the cart and began matching speed. Its plush leather seat looked very inviting.   "Well hiya," it might have said, but didn't.   "Hmm..." Ooawagaeri thought hard while looking at the contraption. "This isn't what I was expecting."   Hideyoshi, peeking over his shoulder, had the same manner of expression on her face. "What...creature is that?"   "It was supposed to be a fox to carry us in a grand showing," the masked man answered. He then hopped into the waiting seat. A moment later, Hideyoshi slid in behind him. The raw power of this motorized cycle thrummed through him as he settled his hands over its bars. "Perhaps this will be better."   "Y'all kids have fun now," the cart driver mumbled. A moment later, his hat was ripped off his head by the thunderous wind they kicked up in passing. Soon, he was a mere dot behind them.   Reaching up, as though guided by some unseen law, Ooawagaeri found a pair of sunglasses hanging on the dashboard and slid them on. They fit perfectly. "To Skyhold!" he shouted.   At something approaching the speed of sound, Ooawagaeri and Hideyoshi ate up the distance to the towers in the distance with startling alacrity. Soon, the gates themselves were visible. Two heavy, forbidding wooden doors were closed solidly within the surrounding stonework, but a small booth had been erected just nearby. A line of husky warriors in various stages of equipment lined up there. They scattered, however, as Ooawagaeri's ride approached with a screeching fury. He skidded to a stop as an oddly familiar figure waved him down from the stand.   "Sir! Sir! Over here, please! All applicants must sign in at the gate." Okuni, no hint of recognition in her one great eye, smiled at the erstwhile Black Blade and foisted a clipboard in his direction.   Ooawagaeri gracefully tipped his sunglasses. "Sure thing." He wrote down his name first, then puzzled a bit over the section next to it. "Special Talent." After another moment's consideration, he added "sculpting." Passing the paper back, he watched as Hideyoshi did the same with her name but wrote "fire breathing" in the second space. "How long until we begin?" he asked as he handed the form back.   "You're the eleventh and the twelfth, I think," Okuni answered, "We're expecting three more, for a total of fifteen."   "Thank you." Sliding his sunglasses back into place, Ooawagaeri pulled on the throttle and eased his motorized cycle into town. The great wooden gates swung open silently to admit him. A small bridge led over a stream before opening on to a great variety of buildings circled about a large central fountain. Beyond, the main keep, from which the city's walls extended like wings, towered above. A balcony had been constructed to extend quite a way out in order to allow for address over the square.   Something seemed a bit odd about the buildings, but Ooawagaeri had other things on his mind. "Why the need for this contest? If she is the Eternal Stationmast— I mean, the Eternal Princess, wouldn't she have time to see everyone?"   He could feel the shrug of Hideyoshi's shoulders from behind him. "Who knows? Maybe she enjoys it?"   "Oh, hey Ooawagaeri." This was from Bedivere, Knight of the Siege Perilous, who cruised up beside the pair as though she had every right to be there.   "Good afternoon," the erstwhile Black Blade answered, unfazed.   And yet Bedivere was not the only strange figure to greet them. Coming upon the fountain, a medley of inhuman shapes and monstrous forms rose up around them without warning. A towering woman with one eye and wicked claws stood alongside a skeleton twenty feet tall. Beyond, a man made of stone lurked in the shadows and a ghostly woman holding a dripping red katana watched him with malicious eyes.   It was a veritable Night Parade, and Ooawagaeri recognized all of them. "Have you seen Lady Hakutaku?" he asked casually.   The crowd parted, revealing a little horned figure wearing a black cloak with a hood. She lifted a cup to her mouth and took a long sip before stepping forward to answer him. "I threw that name away a long time ago, buster."   "I see," he replied. "What should we call you, then?"   Hakutaku leered at him from beneath her hood, then wiped away her milk mustache menacingly. "I'm the big boss around here, so you'd better call me Ō-taku."   Any answer Ooawagaeri might have given to that, and there were quite a few, was quelched out by a fanfare of trumpets as a small figure appeared on the great balcony above. From here it was hard to make out details, but Ooawagaeri noted the telltale crested helmet above an intricate blue dress. The Princess Masamune, no doubt.   "Great performers of the East and West," she orated, "Welcome to Skyhold! You are here to entertain me, the Endless Princess!"   From within the crowd, Bedivere leaned over to whisper to Ooawagaeri. "Wasn't it the Immortal Princess? I feel like the quality of the writing has really dipped lately."   "I'm not well-versed in writings, so I couldn't give you a good opinion on that," the masked man responded with a grave whisper in turn.